


their blossoms down

by Ciarre



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Beauty and the Beast AU, Implied Character Death, M/M, im sorry, kind of, there is suffering
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-07
Updated: 2016-02-07
Packaged: 2018-05-18 17:14:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5936419
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ciarre/pseuds/Ciarre
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hajime had never liked flowers. Something was wrong, but there was nothing wrong.</p>
            </blockquote>





	their blossoms down

**Author's Note:**

> "When the storms break for him  
> May the trees shake for him  
> Their blossoms down. 
> 
> And in the night that he is troubled,  
> May a friend wake for him  
> So that his time be doubled. 
> 
> And at the end of all loving and love,  
> May the Man above  
> Give him a crown."

A few droplets of red yet embraced the wilting rose trying to stand proud, encased in a glass shell, but a single petal detached itself from the rest and drifted down, slowly, slowly. It laid itself to rest, a splash of more red at the pristine white base, a stark reminder of the curse underneath the beautiful facade. The man in the room paid no attention to the flower behind the glass. Instead, he desperately clutched onto an aged piece of parchment, the old words within a mantra to keep his memories alive and true.

 _Oikawa Tooru. A dashing young man who tended towards arrogance. Hardworking, intelligent and devoted. Had close affection for a man named Iwai_ -

He set the paper down. A rogue tear struck instead the intricate glass surrounding the rose. He picked it up again and resumed reading.

\---------------

_“Iwa-chan, leave me alone. I’m fine!” Oikawa Tooru crawled backwards against the juniper and scrambled to hide his knee, but against his will a wince and groan escaped._

_“You are_ not _fine! Let me see your shitty knee!” Iwaizumi Hajime was having none of that. He pried the brunet’s struggling arms away from his knee, revealing an array of fresh bruises and scrapes along the joint._

_Hajime sighed. 3, 2, 1..._

_As if on cue, the young Tooru began to wail._

\---------------

_Underneath the juniper tree was the first time Hajime had professed his affection. He gathered its conical “blossoms” along with the branches, and fashioned a makeshift bouquet together to hand to Tooru._

_“I don’t have enough money to go to the florist, but I... I really like you, Tooru. Flowers are too delicate... I want our relationship to be, uh, stronger than that. And last year long! S-so here.” Hajime shoved the bouquet into Tooru’s hands and turns away, his faced consumed by burning rouge._

_Tooru’s countenance at that moment could’ve have lit up the entire town for months. Eyes shining, although from happiness or held in tears he could not discern, he grabbed Hajime’s arm and turned him around to face him directly._

_“Iwa-chan, this is bouquet is just like you! Unrefined and coarse! Heehee!” A light smack. “Ow! But I like you too. I can be your knight in shining armor!”_

_“What does that make me, the princess? Come on, Shittykawa.”_

_“No, you’re the big bad monster! And I’ve come to save the princess from you!”_

_Tooru giggles as Hajime playfully smacks him in the chest._

\---------------

_Tooru was 14 when the nightmares first started. At first, they were the standard, run of the mill dreams. Falling from high places, chased by foul creatures, being late to school. Forgetting to do the chores before Mother came home. Accidentally breaking all of the plates in the house. Standard._

_He would often wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat, but was able to go back to sleep soon after. On top of that, he was able to fall asleep to begin with._

_One night, he dreamed about Hajime. It was a nice dream. He could feel Hajime’s warmth, his strength and stability, and it made him feel safe._

_Each subsequent night thereafter, he dreamed about Hajime. But as the nights passed, each dream felt more and more distorted. Around Hajime, he saw beautiful, deep red petals surrounding his body. Tooru thought back to the time when Hajime had given him the juniper bouquet. Hajime had never liked flowers. Something was wrong, but there was nothing wrong. It’s just a dream._

_The next day, he sought out Hajime and told him about his nightmares. Expecting a scolding, Tooru braced himself, but it never came. Instead, Hajime took his hand and asked, “Do you want me to spend the night with you? I’ll wake you if you look like you’re in pain.”_

_Tooru nodded gratefully._

_Hajime told his mother about Tooru’s nightmares, and she agreed that she could spend the nights over at the Oikawa’s._

\---------------

_For two years, the nightmares never came. Hajime spending the night became routine, and Tooru never expected any more or less._

_When he was 17, the juniper tree that held so many dear memories, the very one he had been confessed to under, was chopped down to provide lumber for the community. The roots were cleared. No chance for a revival. In it’s place, a rosebush was planted. This pulled at the sentimental portion of his heart, but he moved on._

_When he was 18, Hajime fell sick. It seemed like the roles were reversed; Tooru went over to the Iwaizumi’s every day and every night to spend time with the bedridden Hajime._

_“Hey, do you remember when I said you would be the big bad monster, not the princess? And I was your knight? Are monsters supposed to be that easily bested?” Tooru joked.  
_

_Cough. “Hey, no one said monsters couldn’t be princesses. Don’t discriminate against monstrous royalty.”_

_Tooru gasped over dramatically. “The world must be ending! Iwaizumi Hajime just admitted he was a princess!” More seriously, he added, “These past years, I think you were my knight in shining armor. Ever since that day you handed me that grotesque bouquet and confessed to me under that tree, you’ve just made me feel safe and loved. Maybe_ I’m _the monster princess.”_

_Another cough. “Sure you are. I love you.”_

_“I love you too.”_

\---------------

_A month later, Hajime’s illness had not gotten any better. A doctor was called over from the next town over to assess his status. Tooru was asked to stay out of the room while the examination took place._

_Later, the doctor stepped out, and when Tooru pried for answers, he just shook his head and said, “I’ll need to talk to his mother first.”_

_He ushered Mrs. Iwaizumi over to the other room and spoke to her in hushed tones, “I regret to tell you that your son has tuberculosis. He seems like he was a healthy and fit young man, so there is... a good chance that he will survive. I’d recommend he stay in bed to recover. I’m sorry, there isn’t much more I can do.”_

_Tooru removed his ear from the door, holding in a pained breath and willing the tears to stay where they belonged._

\---------------

 _Tooru was not allowed to visit Hajime for fear that he too might suffer from consumption. He was sulking outside of his house when his eyes locked onto the rosebush. That_ damn _rosebush! His rational mind was working overtime to reel his thoughts into the proper place, but his heart had overridden all logic. It’s because of the rosebush! He never would’ve fallen ill had the juniper tree been there!_

_In a burst of rage, Tooru marched over to the unsuspecting rosebush and plucked out every blossom he could reach. Hajime never liked flowers! The thorns dug into Tooru’s hands, a last ditch attempt by nature to preserve its fleeting beauty. He ignored the blood seeping out of the plethora of scratches he had sustained and stomped on every rose he had removed. Die, die, die! The ground was marred by puddles of aching red, a once pure field rendered a scene of crime._

_The pain in Tooru’s hands soon brought his mind back to earth. He walked back into his house and collapsed on to his bed, soon unconscious from exhaustion._

_That night, the nightmares returned. They were not of Hajime._

\---------------

_When Tooru awoke, he was taking a few moments to regain his bearings when he saw a foreign object resting upon his desk. A rose. A beautiful glass shell with golden plating covered it, and a short note lay in front. A warning, perhaps._

_Hajime had never liked flowers. Yet, they way it stood proud, but was somehow ephemeral, reminded him of Hajime. He decided to read the note._

_On the paper, drawn in thin red lines, was only one word: Hajime._

_Tooru figured it must have been a gift from his lover. He decides it’s okay to risk catching the disease if it means he can see Hajime again. He cradles the rose in arms and carries over to the Iwaizumi’s house._

_Tooru barges into the house without knocking, knowing he’ll be turned away, and skips to Hajime’s bedroom._

_“Iwa-chan! Did you give me this rose? It’s so beautiful!” Tooru exclaims._ I thought you didn’t like flowers _, he doesn’t add._

_Cough. More coughs. “Um, no? It’s a very nice flower though. And stop calling me Iwa-chan, we’re adults!” Hajime replies. At that moment, a petal falls off of the rose and Hajime delves into a coughing fit that racks his whole body. Blood is on his hand when he removes it from his mouth, reminding Tooru of the petal that had just fallen._

_“Hajime, Hajime! Are you okay?!” Tooru reaches over and clasps the hand Hajime hadn’t coughed on._

_“Tooru, I love you, but you have to leave. I can’t have you getting this too,” Hajime said. Tooru has tears in his eyes once more._

_“Hajime, I’m so sorry. I love you so much.” Tooru bends down and places a hand over Hajime’s mouth before placing a light kiss. “I can’t kiss you directly because of the illness anymore. This is the best I can do. Please get well soon, Hajime.”_

_As Tooru is leaving, another petal falls off, and Hajime starts another coughing fit, this time worse than the last._

\---------------

One petal remained on the rose. This time, Tooru holds in his tears. _Hajime never liked flowers_ , he thinks.

Flowers are ephemeral. They don’t last.

When he sees the final petal struggling to remain, he chokes on an escaping sob. He’s reminded of the time he struggled to hide his injury from Hajime, the time he was handed an “everlasting” bouquet from Hajime, the time he smashed the rosebush into oblivion for Hajime.

The petal soon gives in and joins the sea of crimson on the base of the glass.

 _I was not your knight in shining armor. I was the monster._ Tooru lets his tears fall.

**Author's Note:**

> im sorry i love suffering


End file.
